Eddie Riggs
"A good roadie knows his whole job is to make someone else look good, keep someone else safe, help someone else do what they were put here to do. A good roadie stays out of the spotlight. If he's doing his job right, you don't even know he's there. Once in a while, he might step on stage just to fix a problem, to set something right. But then before you even realize he was there, or what he did, he's gone." - Eddie Riggs Eddie Riggs, named after Eddie the Head (the mascot of Iron Maiden), and Derek Riggs (the artist who created him), and voiced by Jack Black, is the protagonist of Brütal Legend. Tim Schafer explains that he got the idea for using a Roadie as the main character for a video game when he met one of Megadeth's Roadie, Tony. It is possible the inspiration for his guitar's electric shock power comes from the Judas Priest's song Painkiller, where the "Painkiller" comes to humanity after they pray for help, and blasts bolts of steel. Also the phrase in the song "Evil's going under deadly wheels" was likely an influence for the Deuce, and its nickname, "Druid Plow". Story Warning: Spoilers. From Humble Beginnings He is the greatest roadie of all time, but unfortunately, he works for the worst Heavy Metal band of all time, "Kabbage Boy". Eddie is an old school metalhead who dreams of the days when heavy metal was pure.http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/969/969334p1.html While setting up for a concert one day, a friend of his notices one of the band members dancing on a part of the set. Eddie rushes to save him. Part of the set collapses however and knocks Eddie unconscious (not killed, as he seemed to recall what happened on stage, when first meeting Lars and Lita halford.) A drop of his blood falls into the mouth of the head on his belt buckle, which turns out to be a magical amulet that summons the spirit of Ormagoden, the Eternal Fire Beast. The Fire Beast kills the band members and teleports Eddie back in time to the age of metal - a mythological world inspired by heavy metal album covers and lyrics. Eddie awakens to find himself inside the Temple of Ormagoden, inhabited by hooded followers of Emperor Doviculus, the Demon king of this new world. In order to escape, Eddie grabs The Separator (a double-bladed broad axe), and defeats three of the followers. He then picks up Clementine (a Flying V guitar) and shocks most of the other followers. Minutes later, Eddie escapes to find Ophelia, a young woman who also sought the Separator. The two decide to work together until they find a way out. Just when they are about to escape the temple; however, the two are faced with millions of followers, ready to besiege the temple. Eddie notices a glowing tabulature carved on the walls near them and used Clementine to play the tune, revealing parts for a car. Eddie took the parts and assembled them into a hot rod called the "Druid Plow", AKA "The Deuce". He and Ophelia use the Deuce to plow through the army advancing on the Temple. During this, Ophelia explains to Eddie that the world he is in is inhabited by millions of demons determined to rule the world, but she works with a group of humans who fight the demons in the hope that their world would be peaceful again. They soon arrived at the Feeding Pit, the dwelling place of a large worm-like landprey creature. Eddie fought the creature while Ophelia unlocked the gate. After the fight, Eddie's rash words catch Ophelia's ears and she asks what french kissing is, Eddie was nervous to answer, but before he could tell her, the worm monster attacked Ophelia. Eddie uses a power chord to break the chains that keep the gate open, the gate closes down and injures the creature, and in celebration, Eddie cries out, "DECAPITATIOOOON!" while air guitaring on his axe. Believing that he killed it, Eddie proceeded to attempt to teach Ophelia how to "French Kiss", but before he could, the worm monster used its last bit of strength to destroy the gate. After the destruction of the gate, Eddie and Ophelia use the Deuce to ride the gate like a ramp, and escape the temple. You Say You Want A Revolution? He and Ophelia soon approach the rebellion hideout, where Eddie meets Lars, the leader of the rebellion, and Lita Halford, a brave warrior and Lars' sister. Eddie soon tells them his story, about how he was summoned from another world by his own belt buckle. Lita, Lars, and Ophelia then explain that the belt buckle was actually steel flesh from Ormagoden himself. The reason Ormagoden brought Eddie to their world was a mystery; whether to destroy or liberate mankind, the party was unsure. Lars knew that Eddie wasn't an enemy, so he offered Eddie a place in the rebellion. Eddie gladly accepted. The rebellion was still short an army, so Eddie and Lars journeyed out to find one. The first allies were the Headbangers, a group of strong, thick-headed men who were slaves to Doviculus's second in command, General Lionwhyte. Eddie ventured into the mines and delivered his gift of Heavy Metal to the Headbangers, who were amazed and inspired by it. Eddie asked them to join the rebellion; however, he discovered that Lionwhyte had followers of his own, who loved their hair and looks more than their freedom. Lionwhyte's followers tried to convince the Headbangers that working for their luscious-haired general would pay off, but the Headbangers weren't swayed, and instead joined Eddie to free the other Headbangers and defeat Lionwhyte once and for all. Afterwords, Eddie picked a name for the rebellion: Ironheade, named after the Headbanger's thick skulls. The Kill Master Eddie returned with "an army fit for a king" to the Ironhide hideout, only to see Ophelia mortally injured after freeing the women from Lionwhyte's palace. Concerned about the fate that would ensnare his friend, Lars took Ophelia to the Kill Master, a talented mystic who used his bass guitar skills to heal the wounded and sick. Eddie and Lita followed Lars to the Kill Master's lair, where Ophelia was being healed; however, the Kill Master's bass strings were not thick enough. The Kill Master needed new, thicker, bass strings, spun by the metal spider queen in the Spider's Nest. Lars offered to go, but Lita stopped him, believing that Ophelia shouldn't be healed. While the two siblings argued, Eddie secretly went to the Spiders Nest to gather up spider webs from the spider queen. When he was finished, he returned to the Kill Master's lair, and supplied the Master with enough string to restore his friend. Ophelia was healed, but believed Lars saved her and thanked him instead, leaving an unappreciated Eddie to enlist the help of the Kill Master and his troops, the Thunderhogs. Ophelia had an extra batch of warriors at her side, the Razor Girls. After arming them with the highly flammable tusks of the wild Razorfire Boar, Eddie, Ophelia, and the girls returned to the Ironheade hideout, where Eddie meets Mangus, a tweeky man with a talent in commanding troops, which would come in handy when Lars found out about an attack on their hideout led by General Lionwhyte. While preparing for battle, Eddie felt a strange pain on his back. Ophelia checked to see what was causing the pain, but found nothing. In light of this discovery, Eddie decided to ignore it, saying he'd feel better after killing more of Lionwhyte's men. The Downfall of Lionwhyte After the battle, Eddie and the troops of Ironheade prepare for a sortie, led by Lars, toward Lionwhyte's castle, to finish his fight with the traitor. Before the battle, Eddie felt the pain on his back return. Suddenly, Eddie's skin turned blood red, he sprouted red bat wings, and his eyes burned with a yellow glow that would make the bravest warrior shudder in fear. Observing his new, demonic form, Ophelia reasoned that the Druid's blades must have been poisoned with demon venom during Eddie and Ophelia's venture in Ormagoden's Temple; Eddie was infected while attacking the Druids without even knowing it. Eddie wasn't going to submit, though, and instead decided to use this curse to his advantage, as he was somehow positive that the effects would wear off. In spite of the demonic makeover, he went forward and led Ironheade to victory. After the fight, Eddie changed back, just as he said he would. Angered by another loss, Lionwhyte fired the Bouncers, giving Ironheade an even wider unit variety. As they ventured into the treacherous mountain pass to The Sanctuary of Sin, known as the Cleave of the Impaler, Ironheade encountered the people who helped Ophelia save the women, the Roadies. After supplying them with amps from the Screaming Wall, the stealthy Roadies helped Ironheade through the Cleave of the Impaler and into Lionwhyte's lair, the Pleasure Dome. During the journey, Eddie had a chance to spend some time with Ophelia. Ophelia tells Eddie a little bit about her family, who were actually Tear Drinkers- servants of the Sea of Black Tears. Her parent's history was why some people in Ironheade (especially Lita) didn't trust her. She concluded her story by saying the gate to the Sea of Black Tears was sealed shut by the Titans. Afterward, Eddie asked if she was in love with Lars, before Ophelia could give a straight answer, Eddie kissed her, showing his devotion to Ophelia. As a token of his trust, Eddie gave Ophelia something very precious to him- a necklace, once belonging to his mother. Lionwhyte wasn't at all pleased with the intrusion, and told Ironheade to leave. Lars, however, was determined to defeat Lionwhyte, and told the evil general that he was prepared to lead his friends to a peaceful future, so he and Ironheade faced Lionwhyte and his army and defeated them. The Tainted Coil Lars was prepared to take the fight to the true enemy; Lionwhyte's puppeteer, Emperor Doviculus, the demon emperor. No sooner had Ironheade made their plans when out of the darkness arrived Doviculus, who wished to see the rebels who defeated Lionwhyte. Eddie watched along with his friends while Doviculus monologued about someone named Succoria, who was supposedly a spy working for him while living among the humans, leading Lita to believe Ophelia is the spy. Lars courageously stood up against Doviculus after the latter mocked humanity, and proclaimed that he was their king. After knowing that Lars was the leader, Doviculus mercilessly killed Lars by impaling him with his double edged spear. Eddie, Lita, and Ophelia rushed to Lars' side, who used his dying breath to tell Eddie to look after his sister. Eddie and Ophelia were prepared to avenge their fallen friend when Doviculus summoned an army of grotesque giants called the Bleeding Death to destroy the castle. Eddie and Ophelia escaped just in time, but Lita was waiting for them, claiming that Ophelia was the spy. Eddie was confused, but wanted to know the truth as well. Ophelia was trying to explain when she accidentally said that she knew about Eddie's parents. This troubling news angered Eddie, so the roadie left her stranded, believing her to be the spy Succoria. Eddie and Lita rendezvous with the rest of Ironheade to mourn the passing of their king. Some Time Later... After three months in hiding, a new threat appeared - the Drowning Doom. It was an army of humans turned undead by the power of the Sea of Black Tears. The Sea of Black Tears, closed long before, had been re-opened by Doviculus for the purpose of pitting human against human once again. After barely holding off the first few waves of Drowning Doom soldiers, followed by a much larger force, Ironheade was aided by the Fire Barons, who rescued the recovering rebellion from their damp fate. After viewing the symbol on some of the attackers, a design identical to Ophelia's t-shirt, Eddie and Lita realize she must be the leader of this new army. Eddie decided to continue Ironheade's war against Doviculus by destroying the Sea of Black Tears, a choice Lita declared to be "suicide". The Fire Barons, however, asked "Can we come?". While heading for the Sea of Black Tears, Ironheade encounters vicious Metal Beasts, protected by the Zaulia, fierce women warriors who tamed the Metal Beasts and used them as their mounts. Narrowly escaping being burned to death by the female warriors, Eddie discovers a very important piece of lore. Riggnarok, a friend of the Zaulia, the leader of the Black Tear Rebellion and the only participant who resisted the Sea's temptation, was Eddie's father. The growing army enlists the help of Rima, the Zaulia queen, and her warriors and their Metal Beasts. Eddie is soon told that his father was sent to the future to fight the Emperor of Demons, who Eddie believed to be Doviculus. After some time, Eddie had built an army large enough to destroy the Drowning Doom, and successfully began pushing back their forces. However, he still couldn't kill Ophelia, who tempted him with secrets of his family, saying that the Emperor already went to the future along with Riggnarok. Eddie responded saying his father must have defeated the Emperor because "In the future, there aren't too many demonic overlords running around. Except at record companies." Ironheade ventured further into the Drowning Doom's tainted realm until they finally arrived at the Sea of Black Tears. While there, Ophelia appeared before Eddie. He took the opportunity to question her motives, so Ophelia explained by showing Eddie a vision of her past. Ophelia was lost and heartbroken, so she accepted her parent's fate and jumped into the Black Tears, hoping for death. Instead, Ophelia became possessed by its darkness. Eddie enters Ophelia's chamber to end the battle. There he learns that Ophelia suspected Eddie as the traitor just as he suspected her. Eddie is prepared to face Ophelia, but when he calls her by what he believes to be her true name, Succoria, she gives him a confused look and tells him again that that isn't her name. Son of Succoria As it turns out, Ophelia was never the traitor, and Succorria was in fact Eddie's mother. This is revealed by none other than Doviculus, who appeared after Eddie asked who Succoria was. Doviculus also revealed Eddie's mother as the former Empress of Demons, and that Succoria was planning to spy on the humans. Doviculus even mentions to Eddie that The Separator was Succoria's weapon and that the very T-shirt he wears belonged to her (the name Succoria is actually hidden in the stylized drawing on the front of the shirt). She had planned to exploit the knowledge of the Titans, but when she arrived in the modern age of man, she was despaired to learn that the future belonged to humans, not demons. She abandoned her mission as her bloodthirstiness died and her spirit was sapped by modern civilization. Riggnarok could not bring himself to kill the pitiful Succoria, but instead began to care for the demon. In time they grew intimate, the result of that bond being Eddie. Doviculus finally revealed that although Succoria and Riggnarok travelled to the future, the secrets that she gave to Doviculus came from the past. After telling Eddie about his bloodline, Doviculus ripped out Ophelia's heart, killing her instantly. To further torture the roadie, he says that it was all Eddie's fault for turning her into a monster. Doviculus then summoned a giant tower-like monster to finish off the son of Succoria. Using his army, Eddie is able to defeat Doviculus's monster and then faces Doviculus himself in the final battle. Doviculus stated that Eddie was a demon raised improperly by humans. When the demonic overlord asked if there was a word for people like him, Eddie replies "I'm a Roadie. I keep the trash off the stage." and charges the villain. The battle is difficult and straining, but Eddie finally defeats Doviculus by slicing off his head, stomping the ground, and yelling "DECAPITATIOOOOOON!", using the power of his voice to knock the Emperor's severed head off his shoulders. After the battle, Eddie steals Ophelia's heart back from Doviculus' corpse. Unexpectedly; however, the heart melts, showing the necklace Eddie gave Ophelia. Through this, Eddie finally realizes that he wasn't fighting the real Ophelia at all, just her heart's grief and anger in the form of darkness. At that moment, Eddie decides to retrieve the real Ophelia from the Sea of Black Tears. Eddie wastes no time in jumping into the Black Tears, where he finds Ophelia sleeping peacefully. He places his mother's necklace around her neck again, joyful in the knowledge that he has found her at last. But before he can pull her out of the ocean, though, the Black Tears begins to pull Eddie deeper into the darkness. All seems lost until Ophelia wakes up and saves Eddie's life, grabbing on to his stage pass and dragging him to the surface. The two embrace each other and officially rejoin Ironheade. On the day of celebration, Eddie is content to stay in the shadows while Lita and the late Lars take the glory for Ironheade's success. Mangus and the rest of Ironheade say their tearful goodbyes, but Eddie assures them he's not going anywhere, he just has a few errands to run. From a distant hillside, Ophelia sees Eddie driving across the countryside in the Deuce, and a single black tear rolls down her cheek as he drives off and the credits roll. Characteristics Eddie is proclaimed as the "greatest roadie of all time", and supports that fact throughout the game. He is able to build the Deuce from spare parts summoned at the Temple of Ormagoden, and later organize and lead the armies of Ironheade. He is also a skilled guitarist, able to perfectly read tabulature and shred with Clementine surprisingly well. He can use the Separator almost perfectly, even though he admits that he'd never used an axe before. This may or may not be the influence of having a warrior father and a demon mother, who also wielded the axe. Eddie is also very strong. As he was assembling the Druid Plow he lifted its body and frame with ease. He's also shown carrying large amp towers for the Roadies to carry when gearing up to assault Lionwhyte's stronghold. Eddie's personality can be immature at times, and he is almost always sarcastic and snarky. However, he also knows when it's time to be serious, and is an efficient and capable leader of men. He also knows that, as a roadie, his place isn't in the leadership of an army- a fact proven upon his initial meeting with Lars Halford. Eddie is also friendly and a good advisor, when people (Lita, Kage, and the Headbangers) have doubts of what they can do, Eddie supports them and helps them realize how strong and powerful they really are. Eddie also has a strong sense of justice in him when someone is being attacked or discriminated, like when Doviculus killed both Lars and Ophelia, Eddie would stop at nothing to defeat him and avenge his friends. When it comes to Ophelia, Eddie can't help but feel strongly about her. He was partly jealous of Lars when Ophelia acknowledges him instead of Eddie, but he doesn't let it change the way he thinks of his friends. Even when Ophelia was taken in by the Drowning Doom, Eddie still loved her, and he was willing to do whatever it took to save her. Eddie is voiced by (and modelled after) actor and musician Jack Black. Role in Multiplayer In multiplayer, Eddie is the leader of the Ironheade faction and can command all of its units. Gallery File:EddieRiggs2.jpg File:EddieRiggs3.jpg File:EddieRiggs4.jpg File:EddieRiggs5.jpg File:EddieRiggs6.jpg File:TheSeparator.jpg File:Eddie-demon.jpg File:EddieRiggsStatue.jpg References Category:Characters Category:Ironheade